This invention relates to the automatic loading of cores and spacers alternately upon a mandrel. The so-loaded mandrel is then placed upon a machine which winds paper (or other material) slit into a tape or ribbon about the cores.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,869,046 issued to me discloses the automatic loading of a mandrel with cores spaced from each other along the length of the mandrel. The cores are first placed in a core box which properly aligns and spaces the cores from each other before being placed on the mandrel. After the mandrel is inserted into the array of cores, it is expanded radially to frictionally hold the cores thereto. The so-loaded mandrel may then be lifted from the core box and placed upon the machine which is to wind the paper (or other material) upon the cores.
The present invention relates to mandrels which are alternately loaded with cores and spacers so as to space the cores from each other instead of using a core box to space the cores from each other.